The Freedom Test
by Verbat1m
Summary: Following the galactic war, Blake has been captured and is being taken to a Federation controlled planet. (Part 3 of the Allies series)
1. Chapter 1

Blake looked about the dimly lit cargo room. At first glance, there didn't seem to be any prospect of escape. The door he had been shoved through led back to the bridge and at the far end of the hold was another sealed door. It would probably remain magnetically locked for the duration of the flight. Blake knew that short range fliers, like the one he was imprisoned in, had few pressurized areas. There was no way to know what was on the other side of that door. No, his best option was to somehow get back onto the bridge.

He considered what had occurred moments before. He thought Cay had seemed uneasy. His declaration of allegiance to the Federation had lacked conviction. Or was Blake hoping to see good where there was none? Occupational hazard, Blake thought with a half smile. Certainly, he reflected, Cay been keen enough to imprison him in the cargo hold. But if he could get him alone and speak to him… if he could get through the door.

A movement in the shadows caught his eye. A human form? Softly, he called out into the stillness but there was no response. Just as he began to think he'd imagined it, Blake felt the cold press of steel against his neck.

"I've been watching you and your friends. Give me a reason not to kill you," whispered a woman's voice.

Blake kept very still and forced his voice to remain calm.

"Those men are not my friends. If you have been watching for long, you will know that. As for why you should spare me, we both have a common problem. We are both prisoners."

The woman laughed quietly, "You are mistaken. I come and go as I please. This ship has been my home for many months. I know every inch and can disappear as quickly as a breath. When you first arrived here, I hid and discovered your intentions. I too wished to leave the planet. You have helped me. But do not think that I am in your debt. I would have left with or without your help."

Slowly, Blake began to turn his head so that he could see the woman. Thankfully, the knife did not press its point home. Blake breathed a sigh of relief. He brought his hands into view in a sign of surrender.

"It that case," he whispered, "it appears that I am your prisoner." Hesitatingly, the woman lowered her blade.

"No. I do not wish for prisoners."

Blake gave a cautious nod. He heard something in her voice; a sincerity, an honestly not found in would be murderers. Before he could ask any more, a noise from the door connecting to the bridge startled him. Turning to look, he realized that he was about to have a visitor. Blake spun back round to warn the woman and stopped short. She had vanished. Blake raised his eyebrows, impressed.

The door to the cargo hold swung open and some food packets were thrown in. Before Blake could move, the door slammed shut.

"I'm Blake," he said, unsure if he was still speaking to anyone.

"Tamsen," came a distant reply.

* * *

Cay looked at the scanner. The sensors indicated there was a ship closing on their position. He didn't recognise the configuration.

"Sir, what do you make of this? It's only just come in range and there's a transmission being broadcast from it too. I'll put it on speaker."

"Unidentified vessel. Please respond. Repeat. Liberator to unidentified vessel. Please respond."

Greggs spun in his chair as if struck by lightning. Not so long ago, he had been tasked by the Federation with capturing Blake and the Liberator. His plan had failed and he had lost his position in the Federation. Although he was sure he could quickly regain it, now Blake was his prisoner, he didn't want any complications from Blake's crew. He quickly ordered his second in command to check Blake was secure. When Cooplan returned, he turned to Cay.

"Not a word. I'll handle this."

"This is Independent Cargo ship, Dublin. Go ahead, Liberator."

Greggs listened intently to the voice coming through the speaker. Liberator had tracked each ship which had left the planet about the same time they had. They were searching for any trace of Blake. He smiled nastily as he replied.

"We have not seen any sign of the individual you describe. Neither have we encountered any other traffic on this route."

"Understood. Where is your destination?"  
"Classified, Liberator. Our client requires the utmost discretion."  
"Our scans indicate your ship is not functioning at safe levels. Do you require assistance?"

Greggs was about to answer when he paused. Cooplan knew him well enough to know when he was calculating.  
"We would appreciate the help Liberator. We have a docking hatch on the port side."  
Cooplan looked across at Greggs, incredulity spreading across his face. He'd always trusted his senior colleague but this was a stretch too far. Greggs however, continued to make arrangements with Liberator. Once the communication channel had clicked off, he turned to Cooplan.

"Cooplan how far out from the Federation world are we?"  
"A little under 12 hours, Sir."  
"Good. Send a coded priority one message. Tell them we have Blake and Liberator is docked with our ship. Tell them to send all available Pursuit Ships. If we play this right, Cooplan, we may be about to seize the Liberator!"

* * *

"What do you think Avon?" asked Cally.

"If they were trying to hide someone, they'd hardly invite us on board," interrupted Tarrant.

"Unless they wanted us to think they didn't have anyone else on board," muttered Vila.

Tarrant looked at him witheringly. "You really think that?"

Vila remained non-comital. Tarrant turned away in frustration.

"As requested, I have plotted the course of the vessel, and likely destinations," Orac said.

"And?"

"There are far more important things for me to be doing."  
Avon smiled, "Orac. Tell us what you found out."  
"Assuming the Dublin stays on its present heading, it will rendezvous with a Federation command planet in the next 12 hours."

Avon narrowed his eyes. "I think the Dublin is worth further investigation."


	2. Chapter 2

Blake sat trapped in the cargo room. His situation had worsened. Cay and Cooplan had entered a few minutes earlier and tightly bound and gagged him. Clearly, they did not want him making any noise. But who would they care about overhearing him? Unless… someone was coming aboard, someone who knew him. Blake's heart began to pound. Could Avon have found him? It seemed unbelievable. Yet, with Orac's help, was it possible? Perhaps they were looking for him and he could escape with Tamsen.

* * *

Greggs, Cooplan and Cay waited at the airlock.

"When the opportunity presents itself, Cay, I want to you to damage their airlock," ordered Greggs.

"Sir?"  
At that moment the hatch began to slide open. Tarrant and Avon walked through. Greggs led them to the bridge.

"We got pretty badly damaged during the war and replacement parts are very difficult to come by," Greggs said. "We're hoping that the people we are meeting next will be able to offer us some new equipment."

Tarrant looked around. "Yes. It's a good job these old fliers were built to last. Your cargo is through there, I assume?" He pointed to the door in the bulkhead.

"Yes. But during flight it does not have an atmosphere so it's not safe to enter."

"Right. So what do you need help with?"  
As they discussed various problems and possible solutions, Avon walked about the flight deck. He quickly assessed the sealed door. There was no way to know if what Greggs had said was true but he didn't trust the captain and he had to know what was on the other side of the door.

"Why don't you take the captain back to Liberator, Tarrant? I'll see if I can get any backup systems running."

Greggs eagerly agreed telling Cay and Cooplan to accompany him. Greggs seemed too eager to Avon but he let it pass. All that concerned him was opening the cargo door. Besides, he doubted if Greggs could get up to anything nefarious with Tarrant keeping an eye on him. The crew was on high alert with orders for immediate teleport should anything untoward happen. Avon spoke into his bracelet.

"Vila, Avon. I need you across on the Dublin. I'll need your expertise with the backup systems. Bring your box of tricks."

A short time later Vila entered and nervously regarded the door, "Avon? I don't like this."  
"You're not required to like anything. Get that door open."

Vila looked at it and made his usual comments about it being an extremely difficult task.

"Often these doors are sealed for a reason, Avon. The other side may not be pressurized. It's a terrible risk."  
"Not compared to you not opening it."

Avon let the threat sink in. Vila sighed and moved across to the door's code box.

* * *

Blake felt the gag loosen and he took a hurried breath. Stale air had never tasted so good.

"You must come with me. Now!" whispered Tamsen.

"Why? What's going on?"

"More people have arrived. They mean you harm."

"What? How do you know? I think they could be my friends!"

Tamsen explained what she had overheard. That from where she had laid, she could only see one man but she believed the others were beginning to try and open the door to where Blake was imprisoned.

"The man I saw was tall, with short brown curly hair. He was their leader. They called him Tarrant. The others I could not see. Come. I will show you."

The bonds securing Blake's feet and body fell away. Tamsen's description did not sound like any member of the Liberator's crew and, reluctantly, Blake turned to go with her. Tamsen quickly led him to the back of the room where she removed a broken access panel and crawled into the gap. Once through, the passage became a little wider and the two of them were able to make their way further into the ship. After they had turned a corner, Tamsen stopped and motioned for Blake to be silent. She pointed towards a ventilation panel at the far end of the shaft and Blake inched towards it. Peering through, he saw Greggs, Cay and a tall man –Tarrant he assumed- walking down a short grey corridor. He sighed and returned to Tamsen. "You're right, I don't want to meet these people. I'm better off staying hidden and looking for a chance to escape. Where can we hide?"

* * *

As the door eased open, Vila smiled and stood aside. Then, somewhat belatedly, took a huge mouthful of air, in case the cargo hold was not sealed. Cautiously, Avon entered, his eyes alert for any sign of a prisoner. The room was fairly small and lacked hiding places so in moments they had checked the area.

"What do you make of this?" Avon asked Vila, picking up the ropes which had held Blake. Vila looked at them and raised his eyebrows.

"It could…" he began but then he heard voices coming from the main deck. Quickly, they both dived out of the cargo hold, Vila activating the door's shutting mechanism.

A moment later Greggs and Tarrant entered the bridge.

"Did you have any luck?" asked Tarrant. Avon shook his head.

"The secondary circuits are in need of a complete overhaul. I'm afraid there's not a lot we can do."  
"I've arranged for some spare parts to be brought across. Cooplan and Cay are collecting them now." Tarrant said. "We can help to install them, if you'd like."

"That's a very kind offer but you have done more than enough already. I'm sure you are eager to get underway," answered Greggs.

Avon looked at Tarrant and shook his head minutely. But despite Tarrant's more insistent offer of aid, Greggs' mind would not be changed. Just as Avon was considering forcing the issue, his bracelet pinged.

"Avon, Cally. We need you all back on Liberator."

The urgency in her voice told Avon all he needed to know.

* * *

"If you had lived on that planet for as long as I did, and seen the changes, you would have learned to be concise with your words and movements," said Tamsen. "I saw too many friends recruited to gangs because they were too slow. I kept my conversations short and my actions simple. I stayed alive."

Blake looked at her wondering how long she had lived alone.

For as long as Tamsen had hidden aboard the ship, she had never needed to think about anyone else's safety. She was slight, agile and did not seem to mind the enclosed spaces she had to crawl through in order to access areas of the small ship. As far as Tamsen knew, there was only one other exit from the maze of ventilation ducts and that was the way she had first entered the ship; the main engine housing. Obviously, during flight, it would be impossible to leave that way. So although he was free, Blake reflected bitterly, he was still trapped. He attempted to make himself comfortable in the small area Tamsen had made her home.

* * *

"What's wrong?" aksed Avon as he rushed onto the bridge.

"5 pursuit ships just entered the edge of Zen's scanner range," answered Dayna. Tarrant gave Zen the order to disengage from the flier as he moved to the flight controls.

"Unable to release. The airlock will not close. Repair circuits activating," reported Zen.

Avon spun round and raced back to the airlock. Now that the door was half-closed he could see the problem.

"Greggs or one of the others has smashed the door relays. How long until those pursuit ships are in firing range?"

"9 minutes."  
"Right. The repair circuits are working. I'm going to see if I can speed them up a little by replacing some of the relays manually." He clicked the intercom off and raced to the store room.

* * *

"I did a thorough job," said Cay. "There's no way they will have enough relays in stock, especially as we have taken several for our ship."

"Good," smiled Greggs. "The Federation will soon be able to claim Blake and the Liberator. A most satisfying day's work."


	3. Chapter 3

"Avon, you're cutting it fine," Tarrant's voice broke through Avon's concentration. Avon glared at the intercom _I can talk or I can work_ he thought. The final relay clicked into place and he exhaled with relief. Almost at the same moment, he felt the ship move as the door sealed and Liberator began to turn onto its new heading.

By the time he reached the flight deck, he'd built a pretty good mental picture of what was happening. Vila was sparingly activating the force wall and Tarrant was trying to find an escape vector which wasn't cut off.

"Are the blasters cleared for firing?" Avon asked.

Cally confirmed that they had been for several minutes. The problem was that because they were moving so slowly, returning fire was virtually impossible. The Pursuit ships were out manoeuvring Liberator.

"Those ships are probably under orders to disable and capture us, not to destroy us," said Tarrant.

"Would you bet your life on it?" asked Avon.

A huge blast rocked the ship.

"I'm not sure they see the difference between capturing and destroying! _"_ said Vila, picking himself off the floor.

Avon was about to reply when two more plasma bolts impacted the ship.

"Ram one if you have to, but find a way through!" he shouted. Tarrant held his gaze momentarily, then set a heading towards a pursuit ship. At that moment Zen shut down.

"Brace yourselves!"

A massive boom reverberated throughout the ship, the internal structure groaning, from the shock of the impact. Tarrant struggled with the controls as Liberator began to yaw. The damaged pursuit ship span out of control, smashing into another. A distant explosion confirmed both were destroyed. There was no time to celebrate however.

"Avon, get to the auxiliary stabilizer controls. Don't let them red line!"

The ship lurched sickeningly as Tarrant wrenched it back on course. A salvo of plasma bolts shot beneath them.

"Increasing speed. Let's hope she holds together!"

As the remaining ships fired the last of their plasma bolts, the engines began to whine and Liberator accelerated into empty space.

Tarrant began to breathe a little easier as the Pursuit ships slowly fell away.

"Would someone care to explain to me what happened to Zen?"  
"It is unable to take actions which could damage it," said Avon. "It should reactive any time."  
"Now the danger's passed," added Vila.

* * *

Greggs looked on impassively as Liberator disappeared from view.

"No matter," he murmured.

Cay left to check on Blake. Although Greggs had not accused him of failure publically, he felt partly responsible.

It didn't take Cay long, after he had opened the door, to find the ropes abandoned on the floor. He rushed back to inform Greggs who came to inspect the scene. There was a tense silence as both Cooplan and Cay wondered who would be blamed for Blake's escape.

Greggs however remained calm again.

"When I was a full member of the Federation and my scientific knowledge was sought after, I used to find that every problem had a solution, if one waited for the facts to be brought to light. Who tied these bonds?"

"Cay tied the ropes and I checked them. There's no way he could have escaped," Cooplan said.

"Indeed. And yet he is clearly no longer our prisoner. So either he is able to loosen ropes with his bare hands or…" his voice trailed off.

"Leaving that aside for a minute. How sure can we be that he remains on the ship?"

"The door was still sealed when I opened it just now," said Cay. "I don't think he could have got out that way."  
"It is reasonable to assume that he didn't get to Liberator as Avon was so reluctant to leave. So that means..."  
"He is still aboard," said Cooplan.

"With an accomplice, "added Greggs. "Either one of you helped free him or there's someone else on the ship."

Listening From inside the vent, Blake's heart dropped. So it had been Liberator. Avon had been within a hair's breath of rescuing him. Greggs' voice cut through his thoughts.

"Search the room. Check the floor and walls. Blake won't have gone far."  
As silently as possible, Blake crept back to Tamsen.

"They're coming. I'll let them capture me. Make sure you stay hidden."

Tamsen nodded and moved deeper into the ship.

A short time later, Blake found himself back in front of Greggs.

"You were nearly rescued Blake," he smiled nastily. "However, you will not get another chance at freedom. I am curious though. How did you escape your bonds?"  
"Your lieutenants are not as thorough as you think," said Blake. "I had a small blade hidden in my shoe."  
"Possibly. But I doubt it. Cay, check the rest of the ventilation vents. If there is someone else aboard, I want them found."

* * *

"Auto repair circuits report extensive damage. Liberator will not be fully operational for 700 hours," Zen reported.

"That's it then," said Vila. "We can't go back after the Dublin. It'll reach the Federation in a fraction of that time."

Avon glared at him. "We were being manipulated. Greggs alerted the Pursuit ships. He wanted to capture us and Liberator. He already had Blake."

"You think he was there?" asked Tarrant.

"The Dublin had at least one extra passenger and they were bound. Orac, I want you to monitor all ships in and out of the Federation world. I want to know if anything leaves that planet!"

"Information. 3 Pursuit ships have entered range," said Zen.

"Avon, we have to give him up for now. We have to run," said Cally.

"Tarrant, get us out of here!" Avon said with icy restraint.


	4. Chapter 4

Five hours later, the Dublin landed on a Federation command planet. As they disembarked, a group of soldiers met them at the airlock. Greggs, Cooplan and Cay followed as Blake was marched through a maze of corridors, ascending many levels until finally, they were admitted to the control room. Blake could sense her before he could see her. He couldn't quite articulate his feelings. What did she represent now? Where was her Federation? Blake had strived to destroy it all. Yet here she was. With tired inevitability , Blake waited to be addressed. The setting had changed but the game had not.

Slowly, Servalan spun her chair round so that it faced Blake. She looked just as imperious and arrogant as Blake remembered her, as if all his actions counted for nought. "Roj Blake."

"Supreme Commander," he responded.

Servanlan smiled, "Yes, of course, you wouldn't know would you? You may address me by my correct title, President Servalan."

"Congratulations. I'm sure it was both a free and fair election."

She ignored his jibe.

"Thank you. But come, we are not here to wait on ceremony. I have a proposal for you, Blake."  
Blake waited, unsure how to respond. He had assumed he was going to his execution and that the Supreme Commander -President- would want to make sure hers was the last face he ever saw. He felt somewhat surprised to still be alive. However, Blake knew Servanlan too well to count himself lucky.

Servalan nodded to a guard and Blake prepared himself for a fight. He was not in good condition and although he had been fed on the flier, the meals packets had contained merely enough to keep him alive. He glanced quickly round the room. Five guards covered the exits and he was being flanked by three more. Greggs and Cooplan would not support his actions. Which left Cay. Would he help push the odds just a little bit more in his favour?

The guard however, did not raise his weapon. Instead he escorted Greggs and the others from the room.

As the door slid closed, Servalan began.

"You won Blake. You destroyed the Federation and reduced it to ashes. There is virtually nothing left. No control. No authority. No safety."

"I did nothing. The invasion fleet destroyed your Federation."

"Please, you may not have overcome us in the way you had envisaged, but the result is the same.

Tell me, do you know of the chaos which is engulfing the galaxy?" Blake shook his head. "Here, let me enlighten you."

Servalan pressed a button on the side of her chair. A recording began. At first, it made no sense to Blake, just a series of repeating numbers. But then he remembered the galactic distress call sequence and his eyes widened.

"So you remember the distress signal? We have monitored multiple planets and the list grows with each passing moment. The death hasn't stopped simply because the invasion has been repelled. Millions are suffering. Formally stable planets are being overrun by rebel militias. Every malcontent has taken the Federation's collapse as an invitation to riot. It's anarchy. They don't recognise the Federation. The aliens' attack will be nothing compared to the suffering we will bring upon ourselves. Unless…"

She rose, crossing the room to him. Servalan looked earnestly into Blake's eyes.

"Unless we were to unite them!"

Blake looked incredulous.

" _We?"_ he scoffed. "You want me dead, Servalan. And I want… Besides, the rebels would never listen to me."

"You underestimate your influence, Blake. Yours is a unifying voice across every rebel cell on every planet. If a rebel faction heard you telling them to lay down their arms, they would listen. Then Federation peace keepers could land and restore order to the planet. Countless lives would be saved. Consider this: You and I, working together, as equals. A new order, bringing peace to the galaxy."

Blake remained silent for a moment.

"You are asking me to trust you, Servalan. You expect me to believe that your new found humanitarianism is genuine. All you've ever wanted was power and you were willing to go to any length to get it. But now… you have you changed?"

"Blake," she said soothingly, "you don't have to decide straight away. Take some time. You can stay as my guest while you make up your mind."

She motioned to one of the remaining guards and Blake was escorted from the room.

He was taken down several floors and into a comfortably furnished room. There was no obvious sign of surveillance but that didn't mean he wasn't being watched. Blake glanced out of the door. A guard stood outside. He wryly wondered if all of Servalan's guests were treated this way.

* * *

Greggs and Cooplan were clearly pleased to be back in the Federation's fold. Cay had never seen them so animated. As they discussed their plans for the future, Cay slipped away.

It appeared that he was free to move about as he pleased so he wandered back the way they had come, towards Servalan's level.

Cay moved slowly, almost without purpose, to avoid raising suspicion. He passed several guards and overheard one mention he needed to check his weapon into the armoury. Cay smiled, that would make his job easier. He paused at an intersection and, when the guard moved on, Cay surreptitiously followed.

As the armoury's door opened, Cay made his move. Coming rapidly upon the guard, he punched him to the floor before dragging him into the room. There was only one person inside and Cay quickly overpowered him too.

Binding and gagging them, Cay moved about the room, selecting a weapon and some spare clips. Surveying the guards one last time, he silently left, smashing the door keypad on the way and sealing the room; it would not increase his chances of success much, but anything was worth a try.

Retracing his steps, Cay began to make his way towards Servanlan's quarters again. He was not entirely sure what he would say when he arrived, he'd been wanting to meet her for what seemed like a lifetime, and this would be the end of the matter. The time of reckoning. He resolutely continued on his journey.

* * *

A dull thud woke Blake from a light sleep. The noise had come from outside the door. As he rose to investigate, the door opened and Tamsen hurried in. He rushed to her. A smile breaking across his face as relief flooded through his body.

"Tamsen! I had no idea what had happened to you. How did you find me?"

Tamsen explained she had waited in the ship until the engine ports had cooled. Then she had made her way into the base. Creeping through corridors and avoiding guards, had been no different from dodging gangs so she had managed to remain unseen. It had taken her until now to locate Blake but she was confident she had not been discovered.

"So now we can quietly disappear," she concluded.

"Not quite," said Blake. "I need to go back to Servalan. If we were to escape, we would be caught quickly. The Pursuit ships would soon find us. We need a hostage. Someone they won't shoot down. Come on!"

* * *

Three bright flashes of laser fire lit the room and three guards crumpled to the floor. Before the other two could react, Cay had them covered.

"Easy," he said, ushering them into a side room, blasting the lock and sealing them in.

Servalan remained motionless. She had a weapon in a secret compartment hidden in the arm of her chair but clearly, now was not the time to try and retrieve it.

"Cay? What do you want? I thought we were on the same side, that you were loyal to the Federation," she said smoothly.

Cay didn't answer straight away instead checking the room was secure.

"What would you know of loyalty, Servalan? or family? friendship? You are so corrupt you've forgotten the value of life. I'm here to help you remember.

Do you think your deeds don't spread to the outer planets? That we don't hear of what you've done? Or do you simply not care?"

"Cay, what are you talking about?" she began to stand but a wave of Cay's gun changed her mind.

"Earth. I'm talking about Earth. Like many, I had family there. And you murdered them."

"Please," Servalan said. "I would never kill. The Federation provides for its citizens."  
"Oh spare me the propaganda, Servalan. You may not have pulled the trigger but you ordered the killings. It makes no difference. There's blood on your hands."

"Do I at least get to know who I had a part in killing?"  
"My aunt, Kasabi, my cousin Veron."

Servanlan paused. There seemed little point in denying knowledge of the event as Cay knew too much. If she could just reach her gun…

Cay looked at her, guessing some of her thoughts.

"Yes... yes. You know precisely what I am referring to. I don't want to know the details. I just need to be the one who kills you."

Cay took a step closer and raised his weapon.

"Retribution is not the answer, Cay," said Blake. "It won't bring them back. It's like poison. Once swallowed, it never leaves you. You'll never be free of it."

"You're wrong, Blake. The true test of freedom is choice. Life or death. She makes that choice all the time. But not any more. Now I get to choose."

Blake moved further into the room. Cay glanced over to him, moving his gun slightly. It was the opportunity Servalan needed. While Cay was distracted, she reached for her gun. A single shot rang out.

Cay fell to the floor.

Blake reacted on instinct and fired, hitting Servalan's gun, knocking it out of her hand. He rushed to Cay while Tamsen covered Servalan.

"Blake," murmured Cay, his voice unsteady, his breath erratic. "I'm..."

But he was fading too quickly to finish. He turned his head aside and died.

Blake gently closed Cay's eyes before rising to face Servalan.

"This is what you are Servalan," he spat. "Death."

"Oh come now, Blake. Don't get sentimental. You would have done exactly the same, if your life were threatened."

"There's always another way!" insisted Blake quietly.

"Another way?" mocked Servalan. "You don't really believe that."

"One day you will be held responsible for your actions."

"By you?"

"Perhaps. But you are not going to just going to brush aside another murder. Not this time. Order your flagship to be made ready."

A look of fear crossed Servalan's face but she remained defiant.

"You're a fool, Blake. You could rule the Federation by my side! You're throwing that away. You'll spend the rest of your life running!"  
"Rule the Federation? Once the planets were united, I'd be dead. Now contact your flagship!"

* * *

"Perhaps you should have killed her," Tamsen said.

Blake's gamble had worked. The Federation, knowing who their hostage was, had not dared pursue them. Once Blake's anger had cooled, they had abandoned Servalan on an inhabited planet.

"I thought about it, believe me. But if the Federation is to be replaced, what comes next has to be morally stronger. Servalan should be tried for her crimes. Not executed to satisfy a desire for revenge."

They were piloting the ship to a free planet, Marca. Blake thought the Federation's flagship would make a suitable trophy for them and if not, he was sure it had immense scrap value.

"Where will you go?"

"I intend to head to Earth. The factions there will need unifying and I may be able to help. You'd be welcome to come with me."

Tamsen shook her head.

"No. Life with you is too dangerous, Blake. I shall find my own way. I am going to stay on Marca. Do you think you will ever see your old crew again?"

Blake smiled, "I'm sure our paths will cross."

He turned to the communicator.

"Planet control? This is Blake. We're making our landing approach now."  
The ship began its descent.


End file.
